The Paul N. Gardner Company, Inc. (GARDCO) has its origin with the alliance of pioneer paint chemist Dr. Henry Alfred Gardner, Sr., Director of the Institute of Paint and Varnish Research in Washington, D.C. and his son Paul Norris Gardner in 1935. The team of Institute chemists at that time were active in the development and design of physical testing instruments for coating materials which were then made available to the industry. However, production of these instruments was not generally available to the public so the Henry A. Gardner Laboratory was established and incorporated in Bethesda, Maryland for that purpose.

Significant developments in areas of appearance were made in further years with research into gloss and color technology by the contributions of such men as Richard S. Hunter who joined the Lab from the then NBS. Throughout the period, Paul eventually rose to the position of President after the retirement of his father and later Board Chairman of the Lab until 1962 when his decision to retire was made. Maintaining contact with the industry, Paul formed The Paul N. Gardner Company, Inc., in Maryland. As a man of foresight the small company was relocated a short time later to the state of Florida where it now flourishes in Pompano Beach reaching both domestic and world markets. Since the passing of Paul N. Gardner, Sr. in 1995, Paul N. Gardner, Jr. has assumed the Presidency of GARDCO.

Gardco, trade name of the Paul N. Gardner Co., Inc and its products, is totally independent of any other corporation.* We proudly serve world commerce through the distribution, production and design of quality physical testing instruments for the paint, coatings and related industries. These include the automotive, aerospace, specialty chemical, petroleum, plastics, pharmaceutical and food among others.

*The Gardner Laboratory was acquired by Pacific Scientific in 1980 and later sold in 1990 to the Altana AG Chemical Division, a direct subsidiary of Byk-Chemie in Germany.

Our working knowledge of instrumentation and application acquired over the years goes to assure that customer needs are met with the appropriate response along with continued support.

The Paul N. Gardner Company (Gardco®) is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing quality and innovative products to industry worldwide.

We utilize the experience, knowledge and integrity of all members of the Gardco team and our suppliers by providing the highest quality equipment, instructions and support for their use. We will always strive to further the respect and confidence of our customers by performing for the good and betterment of our industry, families and global community.